Trade deadline lacks big moves

The NBA trade deadline is over.

...Where none of these teams want Jamaal Tinsley.

All the Amare Stoudemire and Vince Carter rumors to (insert your favorite team) can finally be put to rest.

No big names changed addresses, but a few deals went down before Feb. 19 and 18 players swapped uniforms on deadline day. Here’s a look at some winners/losers as the NBA landscape changes yet again.

Losers:

Indiana Pacers – Jamaal Tinsley is still a Pacer. Sure he’s a scumbag, but was a complete banishment really necessary? Two years ago, the Pacers had to unload an arguably worse character in Stephen Jackson, but instead chose to play him until he was dealt. They ended up eating two bad contracts for Jackson (Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy), but at least got two starters. The inactive Tinsley now has zero value, and most teams wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole. Excellent work, Larry Bird.

New Orleans Hornets – Hornets forward Tyson Chandler was traded to the Oklahoma City Thu… oh wait, never mind. Hours after Chandler was shipped to OKC, a failed physical sent him right back to the Big Easy. How awkward is this? There’s no way Chandler comes back and gives 100 percent for a team that obviously thought he was expendable. This un-move really has to give Hornets players a lot of faith in the team’s management.

Sacramento Kings — Do the Kings even want to stay in Sacramento? The team ranks near the bottom in attendance and is hemorrhaging money. On Thursday, Sacramento dumped a ton of salary and dealt two of its best scorers– Brad Miller and John Salmons — while receiving no players of starting caliber in return. At 11-44, the Kings have the worst record in the league and have to be banking on winning the draft lottery. Doesn’t the “Las Vegas Kings” have a nice ring to it?

Winners:

Orlando Magic — The Southeast Division-leading Magic made the biggest deal of the day by picking up point guard Rafer Alston. Alston (11.4 points per game, 5.4 assists per game) should fill in nicely for injured starter Jameer Nelson (16.7 ppg, 5.4 apg). All Orlando had to give up was three fringe players and a low first-round draft pick. The Magic should go far.

Miami Heat – The Heat made their deal a few days before the deadline, and it was a good one. By trading Shawn Marion to Toronto for Jermaine O’Neal, Miami ensured it would not get stuck this summer letting Marion walk for nothing in return. While O’Neal is declining, he comes to Miami with something to prove and should be an upgrade for their frontcourt.

New York Knicks — Trade rumors swirled around two of the Knicks’ top young players, David Lee and ”Krypto-Nate” Robinson. Instead, New York dumped $6.2 million in dead weight by dealing Jerome James to Chicago for some immediate scoring help in Larry Hughes. The Knicks then sent little-used forward Malik Rose to OKC for a front-court contributor with an expiring deal — Chris Wilcox. Good deal.

Bench-warming Buckeye blogging away

Mark Titus has plenty of time to think.

The 21-year-old former Brownsburg Bulldog made the improbable leap from student manager to mens’ basketball player at Ohio State, but has seen just 30 minutes of playing time — in three seasons.

Ohio State junior Mark Titus keeps the bench warm for the Buckeyes.

Years of riding the pine might seem like mind-numbing boredom, but last October, the experience gave Titus and two teammates the life-changing idea to start a blog.

He calls it “Club Trillion.”

“We named ourselves ‘Club Trillion’, because as athletically limited white folk, we found ourselves riding the bench for the Buckeyes,” Titus wrote in his first post. “When the time came for us to get in, there would usually be one minute remaining in the game. So we  devised the plan of trying to get ‘the trillion’, which occurs when we play one minute and do absolutely nothing that would appear in the box score, thus making our stat line say one minute played followed by a bunch of zeroes.”

That clever title, combined with humorous and observational blog posts, vaulted Titus to a level of popularity never before seen by a bench-warmer. Since it started in October, “Club Trillion” has attracted nearly 500,000 visitors and gained countless fans, whom Titus refers to as the “Trillion Man March.”

“Club Trillion” recently hit the national stage, when Titus appeared on ESPN.com’s “BS Report” — an online radio show hosted by columnist Bill Simmons. At first, Titus thought his invitation to appear on Simmons’ show was a hoax. After all, this was his literary inspiration, a columnist whom Titus has read since his junior high days. But the request was genuine, and Titus appeared on Simmons’ program on Dec. 16 to discuss “Club Trillion” and his observations as 12th man of the Buckeyes. During the broadcast, Simmons joked that the like-minded Titus might actually be his illegitimate son.

“That’s when I think it started to take off,” Titus said. “He (Simmons) just e-mailed me, apparently one of my readers wrote to him. He’s a really cool guy to talk to, I like his stuff so it was good to get to talk to him.”

Titus updates “Club Trillion” twice a week, or whenever he finds time. When he’s not detailing his teammates’ off-the-court adventures, Titus likes to delve into a variety of topics — anything from how Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner has the greatest stubble-beard in the history of sport, to how the 80s rock band Journey might as well be an amateur Mariachi band without former lead singer Steve Perry.

Speaking of Journey, Titus has a running joke on his blog in which he links to a YouTube video of the band’s “Separate Ways” video when readers least expect it.

“I was trying to think of a running joke I could do,” Titus said. “It had to be subtle and you have to be observant to pick up on it. That Journey video was my favorite one so I try to think of different ways to tie it in. I’m just an Internet junkie.”

Titus’ fans are laughing.

“Club Trillion” t-shirts are a common sight at Ohio State. Titus said home fans excitedly chant his name, while on the road, he gets heckled about his blog posts. While Titus admits he would like to play more, he said “Club Trillion” could be the beginning of a career in writing. He is a marketing major and said he’s always been interested in either writing movie scripts or coming up with creative concepts for advertisements.

“I’ve accepted reality,” Titus said. “A lot of people in my situation kind of get down. But I just saw it as a chance to do something positive.”

Visit “Club Trillion” at http://clubtrillion.blogspot.com/

Butler off to fast start

INDIANAPOLIS — Not much was expected of the youthful Butler men’s basketball team when it was predicted to finish fifth in October’s Horizon League preseason poll.

But four months and many wins later, the No. 16 Bulldogs (18-1) are off to the best start in school history. And they’ve done it with three freshman starters, no seniors, and a 31-year-old coach who worked a desk job as a marketing associate just seven years ago.

Brownsburg grad Gordon Hayward and the Butler Bulldogs are 18-1, No. 16 in the country.

“It’s a real challenge every night when you’re suiting up in this league,” said Butler coach Brad Stevens, who now owns a 48-5 record in two seasons. “We’ve been playing good teams that are ready to play, and we also have guys that have never played against these teams. They’re learning on the fly.”

One freshman who’s proven to be a fast learner is Gordon Hayward, who last March capped his high school career at Brownsburg with a last-second shot that lifted the Bulldogs to their first-ever Class 4A state championship.

Hayward — now a collegiate starter — is still hitting plenty of big shots.

The first-year guard/forward averages 12.7 points per game, and leads the Horizon League in three-point shooting percentage (.462). Hayward was named the league’s player of the week on Jan. 2 for posting his first career double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds) during Butler’s 74-65 win at nationally-ranked Xavier.

Despite his deadly three-point accuracy, the 6-foot-8 Hayward posesses the size to be more than just a perimeter player.

“I just kind of take what the defense gives me,” Hayward said. “It’s really easy when you have teammates that are so good and can create for you. There have been so many contributions from so many different people. We’ve got so much depth on the team this year, it’s
great.”

Hayward has contributed with tough defense lately, as he posted four steals and a block during the Bulldogs’ latest win — a 78-48 destruction of Milwaukee on Saturday.

“It (defense) has always been a Butler principle,” Hayward said. “No matter what happens on the offensive end, we’re just going to come down and guard, and really try defensively to put teams out of what they want to do.”

Saturday’s home win over Milwaukee also drew 9,418 fans to Hinkle Fieldhouse. It was the largest crowd this season and the largest for a league game in six years. Hayward, who played in front of thousands of fans at Conseco Fieldhouse in last season’s high school state finals, is no stranger to big crowds.

“The atmosphere here was ridiculous,” Hayward said. “It was really great. I’ve got to give it up to our fans who came out here today and really supported us.”

Hayward himself is still a fan of Brownsburg basketball.

His high school days may be over — his No. 10 Indiana All-Star jersey now hangs in the Brownsburg gym — but Hayward still finds time to take in a game as often as possible.

“I was actually at the game last night,” Hayward said. “I still follow my team, for sure. I definitely go back as much as I can.”

Cardinals cap crazy season

It all started with Tom Brady blowing out his knee.

From there, the NFL season only got weirder.

The 2008-09 campaign had it all: the Dallas Cowboys turned into football’s New York Yankees, two doormats (Miami and Atlanta) won 11 games, an NFC finalist tied the Cincinnati Bengals, Kerry Collins revived his career — again, Brett Favre choked — again, the Detroit Lions tanked worse than the economy, and two No. 6 seeds snuck into the conference championships.

Arizona is in the Super Bowl.

And now, the Arizona Cardinals are in Super Bowl XLIII.

That’s right, the Cardinals, a team that’s made the playoffs just twice in the last 25 years with a 155-258-2 record during that span.

It seemed Arizona’s tradition of futility would continue this year. Matt Leinart and Edgerrin James both rode the bench, star receiver Anquan Boldin whined about his contract, and the team ran the ball worse than the Indianapolis Colts.

The ‘08 Cardinals made the postseason by finishing 9-7, but that record is a little misleading. Arizona went 6-0 against the pathetic NFC West, 3-7 against the rest of the league.

But this isn’t college football. Having a tough schedule doesn’t earn you any points.

Despite having an unimpressive regular season, the Cardinals got this far by fixing their mistakes in the playoffs. Arizona’s defense — ranked 19th in the regular season — gave up about six fewer points per game in the playoffs. The Cardinals’ rushing attack finished dead last this year, but Edgerrin James and Co. have averaged 111 yards per game in the postseason. Last but not least, Kurt Warner has been playing like it’s 2001 — the year he last took the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl.

Who saw this coming? Warner’s career has seen more ups and downs than the stock market. Just four years ago, Warner absorbed a career-high 39 sacks during a miserable season in New York, and it appeared he was about done. But this year in Arizona, he exploded for 4,583 passing yards and 30 touchdowns on his way to being the third-highest rated passer in the league.

A big part of Warner’s resurgence has been Larry Fitzgerald. After having a career regular season, the receiver carried the Cardinals through the playoffs with 419 yards and five touchdowns. His 419 yards broke the NFL record for yards in a postseason previously held by Jerry Rice. Even without much of a run game, Fitzgerald and the Cardinals’ passing threat have been too much for teams to overcome.

And that’s why the Cardinals (seven point underdogs) are going to surprise us once more, and pull an upset over Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl … even though common sense would say go with the Steelers.

Dungy walks away

INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Dungy never had the explosive personality of most NFL coaches.

During his seven years at the helm of the Indianapolis Colts, Dungy faced a wide array of highs and lows – everything from tragic personal loss and crushing playoff exits to a Super Bowl title – and reacted with the same steady expression.

But when Dungy officially ended his 31-year NFL career at his retirement press conference on Monday, his calm appearance finally cracked.

Dungy is going home.

“Seven years ago, I had the chance to come here,” said a visibly emotional Dungy. “I’ll never forget Jim (Irsay) calling me and saying what he wanted to do. He said here in Indianapolis, we don’t have the tradition, don’t have four generations of Colts fans, and we have to connect with our community and turn our young people into Colts fans by winning the right way. That was very enticing to me.”

Dungy did plenty of winning.

In addition to winning Super Bowl XLI, Dungy compiled a 139-69 record with the Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the seventh-best career winning percentage by a coach in NFL history. His teams made the playoffs an NFL record 10 straight seasons, from 1999-2008.

In Dungy’s final season, the Colts finished with at least 12 regular season wins for the sixth straight year. But an overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers spoiled what could have been a return to Tampa for Dungy in Super Bowl XLIII.

“The plan was for us to win the Super Bowl, and for me to walk off the field in Tampa where it all started for me,” Dungy said. “It didn’t quite work out that way. After we lost to San Diego, my initial thought was this was not the way I wanted to go out. But there were a lot of factors in the decision family-wise and this was the right time.”

Dungy did not elaborate on his next career move, but did say he will continue to work with non-profit organizations such as All Pro Dad, a Tampa-based organization intended to help strengthen families and help men become better fathers. Dungy, who was named by George W. Bush to the President’s Council of Service and Civic Participation in 2007, said he also plans to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama on Jan. 20.

As for a possible return to coaching, Dungy said he doesn’t see it happening, but is unsure of what the future will bring.

“I can’t imagine coming back right now, but you never know what is going to happen,” Dungy said. “My mother was an English teacher, and if someone told her that I was going to write a book, she would have never believed that. So I guess you can never say never.”

Taking the helm of the Colts will be Jim Caldwell, who was selected as Dungy’s replacement a year ago. Caldwell served as head coach of Wake Forest from 1993-2000, compiling a career record of 26-63. He joined Dungy in Tampa in 2001 before coming to the Colts as an assistant in 2002.

Dungy said he believes the Colts are in good hands.

“There’s no question in my mind that he’s the best guy for this job,” Dungy said. “He is more than ready.”

Lack of run game finally dooms Colts

It’s one-and-done here in Indianapolis again, and one of the main reasons couldn’t be simpler.

All pass, no run.

Even Norv Turner can beat you when all you do is pass.

That’s what the Indianapolis Colts have become — a finesse, pass-happy offense combined with a quick, but under-sized defense. That one-dimensional formula may have given the Colts all kinds of regular season records and success, but how often does a team that predictable advance in the playoffs?

Never.

Every Super Bowl champion this decade — even the ‘06 Colts — could run the ball. This year’s Colts didn’t just fail at the run, they abandoned it.

This season, the Colts totaled just 370 rushing attempts to 585 passes. Joseph Addai let down fantasy owners everywhere with a measly 544 yards and five touchdowns.

Why not mix it up? The Colts might as well have just given San Diego their playbook. Any defense can look good if it knows what the other team is going to do. 

It’s easy to complain after the loss, but the real question is how does the team fix the running game?

Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes have been 1,000-yard rushers before, and they can again if they get good blocking. Jeff Saturday isn’t going to be around much longer, and the Colts can no longer rely on starting sixth-round picks and guys from MAC schools on the O-line.

Maybe it’s time to spend whatever cap room is available. Maybe it’s time to trade a talented skill position player for a high draft pick. Either way, the Colts need to find someone to lead the way for the backs.

There’s no way Bill Polian changes his ways now, but there will be talented offensive linemen available through free agency and high in the draft. But if he decides to just plug in the next guy in line, as usual, expect a similarly putrid running game next year.

Records fall as Colts win

The Indianapolis Colts held an opponent scoreless for the first time in 11 years with a 23-0 win over the Tennessee Titans in Sunday’s season finale.

But no matter the result, the Colts could not improve their No. 5 playoff seed.

It seemed all they could do on Sunday was make history.

Even Sorgi had a decent day.

Individual records fell faster than the RCA Dome as three Colts achieved notable statistical marks before yielding to the back-ups.

By going a perfect 7-of-7 for 95 yards and a score, Peyton Manning recorded his NFL-record ninth career 4,000-yard passing season. Dallas Clark broke the franchise mark for receiving yards in a season by a tight end. Marvin Harrison, playing in possibly his final home game as a Colt, passed Cris Carter for second place on the NFL’s career receptions list.

“As a former player, when guys are working hard and are within reach of things that are meaningful to them, you’d like to see them get the chance to get it,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said. “You have to keep in mind the team goals and injuries, but I think it was good.”

But perhaps the most impressive record to fall Sunday was one the Colts earned as a team. With the win, Indianapolis (12-4) ended the regular season with 12 or more victories for the sixth straight year — an NFL record.

“You don’t take for granted winning football games,” Manning said. “To win 12 games this year, especially being 3-4 earlier, is a testament to our players and coaches for continuing to work and stay together. We just need to keep it going.”

Manning played one series, directing a nine-play, 90-yard drive that ended with a 55-yard TD strike to Joseph Addai. Jim Sorgi picked up where Manning left off, finishing 22-of-30 for 178 yards. Under the direction of back-up QB Vince Young, the Titans couldn’t get anything going. Young threw for just 55 yards and converted only three third downs. Third-string quarterback Chris Simms directed an ineffective drive on Tennessee’s last possession.

With the regular season now history, the Colts travel to San Diego for Saturday’s wild card contest. The Colts beat the Chargers 23-20 there on Nov. 23. Indianapolis is 6-2 on the road this season, while San Diego is 5-3 at home.

The Colts have won nine straight, while the Chargers (8-8) have taken four in a row.

Only one 8-8 team — the 2004 St. Louis Rams — has ever won a playoff game.

Colts don’t want San Diego

When the Indianapolis Colts booted a last-second field goal to drop San Diego to 4-7 in November, it seemed that the Chargers could kiss a playoff spot goodbye.

Too bad they heated up in December.

By winning all three games in that month, San Diego resurrected its playoff hopes and now has a chance to be the dark horse nobody wants to face in the postseason.

Rivers and the Chargers should take the weak AFC West.

All it takes for the Chargers to capture the AFC West is a home win Sunday against struggling Denver (8-7). And with memories of the botched call that robbed them of a win over Denver in Week 2 fresh in their minds, the Chargers will likely take care of business against the Broncos.

That would give San Diego a four-game win streak, all the momentum in the world, and a home game with Indianapolis in next week’s wild card playoffs.

That’s exactly what the Colts don’t want.

They would have to face Chargers QB Philip Rivers, the NFL’s highest-rated passer. After tossing 4 TD’s against the ninth-ranked Tampa Bay defense in Week 16, just think what Rivers could do to the unpredictable Colts unit.

He’s certainly had his way against the Colts before, totaling 288 yards and two TD’s in November’s game, and 264 yards and three scores in last year’s playoff win.

Then there’s Charger tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, who’s obviously lost a step. But just about anyone has had success against the Colts’ 23rd-ranked rushing defense this year, so Tomlinson cannot be overlooked.

The same script played out last year.

Opting to rest their starters, the Colts had their six-game win streak snapped with a loss to Tennessee in a meaningless season finale.

San Diego charged into the playoffs riding a six-game streak of their own, beat the Titans in the wild card round, and sent the Colts packing with a 28-24 divisional win the next week.

That recipe for disaster looks likely to repeat on Sunday, when the Colts face the Titans for another pointless finale. Already without Bob Sanders, Marvin Harrison, Joseph Addai, and Gary Brackett, the Colts will likely add Peyton Manning to that list when they again rest him in favor of Jim Sorgi. It’s hard to see Sorgi and a bunch of back-ups pulling out a victory over the fifth-ranked Titans defense, so the Colts’ eight-game win streak is likely toast.

With another trip to San Diego likely on the horizon, it will be interesting to see if history repeats itself.

MVP? No doubt, it’s Manning

Thursday’s game at Jacksonville seemed destined for an Indianapolis Colts letdown.

With paralyzed ex-teammate Richard Collier returning for the coin toss, the inspired Jaguars played with nothing to lose. The Colts had a guaranteed playoff spot to gain.

They got it, thanks to another masterful performance from Peyton Manning.

Where would the Colts be without Manning?

The Colts needed every yard they could get from No. 18, as the rushing attack (32 total yards) was again absent. The defense didn’t come to life until the fourth quarter, with a game-changing pick-six from Keiwan Ratliff and a game-winning sack from Dwight Freeney.

But Manning carried the team to its eighth-straight victory, putting up MVP-like numbers: 29-of-34 for 364 yards and three touchdowns.

Speaking of the league’s Most Valuable Player, it’s got to be Manning.

Coming off knee surgery in August, he started slow. The Colts struggled to a 3-4 start and Manning struggled with them, totaling 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions in that span. But during the Colts’ eight-game win streak, Manning reverted to Pro Bowl form, tossing 16 touchdowns and just three picks.

With a patchwork offensive line, virtually no running game, and an unpredictable defense, Manning directed the Colts to their seventh straight playoff appearance. He has led the team to five second-half comeback victories, including two miraculous wins against Minnesota and Houston.

Without him, there’s no way the team is anywhere near .500.

Arizona’s Kurt Warner and Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson are up there in the MVP race, but Manning should get the nod over both.

Putting up slightly better numbers than Manning, Warner is having his best season since taking St. Louis to Super Bowl XXXVI. But Warner has two starting Pro Bowl receivers to throw to — Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin — and in Matt Leinart, has a much more capable back-up than Manning’s.

Peterson is having a monster year (1,581 rushing yards), but the Vikings have also relied heavily on their eighth-ranked defense this season.

No matter how deserving he is, Manning’s third career MVP honor is hardly guaranteed. But one thing’s for certain — the Colts are going only as far as Manning will take them.

Jaguars still can’t catch Colts

After four straight seasons of finishing second to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South, this was supposed to be the year the Jacksonville Jaguars dethroned their nemesis.

In the preseason, most experts pointed to a strong defense and a potent rushing attack — ranked second in the league in 2007 — as reasons for jumping onto a crowded Jaguars bandwagon.

Now there’s plenty of room.

At 5-9, the Jaguars are in the AFC South cellar, firmly removed from playoff contention.

Jack Del Rio can't believe the Jaguars are 5-9.

Back in October, it appeared as if Jack Del Rio’s squad was primed for a run at the postseason. With a 24-17 win at Denver in Week 6, the Jaguars evened their record at 3-3 heading into the bye week. But after the break, their season spiraled out of control, starting with a home defeat to the Browns followed by an embarrassing loss at then-winless Cincinnati.

Jacksonville atoned for its blunder against the Bengals by beating Detroit the next week, but then had its playoff hopes extinguished by losing four straight.

So what went wrong?

The Jaguars’ 17th-ranked offense and 13th-ranked defense have been below average, but the team has simply been decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball. Jacksonville has 17 players on injured reserve.

With an offensive line that has two starters on injured reserve, openings have been hard to come by for the two-man rushing attack of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew has rushed for 655 yards on the season, averaging a career-worst 4.3 yards per carry. Taylor is facing season-ending surgery on his thumb.

Quarterback David Garrard has failed to produce big plays. His longest completion of the season was for 41 yards. The team’s big free agent acquisitions at receiver, Jerry Porter (now on injured reserve) and Troy Williamson (four receptions for 27 yards) have been busts.

The defense lost top cornerback Rashean Mathis and second-leading tackler Daryl Smith for the season.

Going into tonight’s game with Indianapolis, it’s obvious the Jaguars don’t have much to lose. But considering that the Colts took care of business against two other teams with no hope — Cincinnati and Detroit — expect the same Thursday at Jacksonville.